Asheville water meters go high-tech

New system promises more accurate billing

10:43 PM,
Jul. 29, 2013

An example of Asheville's new water meters sits in a yard in West Asheville. The blue object in the middle of the photo measures water use. The yellow object to the right transmits data to city equipment by radio.

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A home on Johnston Boulevard in West Asheville has a slow water leak that's been going on for three or four weeks.

Or at least it did last week, when city workers demonstrated a new automated water meter system that allows them to detect leaks and notify customers of problems. A contractor last month finished a $7.2 million project to replace meters with the new system, where workers use computers and radio signals to read meters without even getting out of the truck.

The system will help the city and its water customers detect and fix leaks more quickly, but it will have a downside for some ...